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Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is the care women receive during pregnancy before birth and represents a cornerstone of maternal and child health. Previously, Saudi women faced various barriers to practicing ANC, including challenges related to transportation, low maternal education, poor communication with healthcare centers, and incorrect maternal beliefs. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, this multicenter cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the timing of ANC contact, coverage of service utilization in public hospitals among Saudi mothers, sociodemographic factors and antenatal health care utilization, and beliefs about prenatal vitamins, and supplement use among pregnant Saudi women. Methods: Data was collected from 1230 pregnant women across 11 Ministry of Health (MOH) facilities. The study assessed the timing of ANC initiation, beliefs about prenatal vitamins, and the use of folic acid, calcium, and iron during pregnancy. Chi-square tests were employed to analyze associations between variables. Results: The findings revealed that 14.55% of participants initiated ANC within the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, with 85.44% starting later. However, the majority 88.78% received prenatal care during pregnancy, regardless of the timing of ANC initiation. Beliefs about prenatal vitamins varied, with 20.08% agreeing that prenatal vitamins were only indicated for malnourished mothers, 72.35% disagreeing, and 7.56% uncertain. Moreover, 51.30% believed ANC should begin before pregnancy, 29.83% after pregnancy confirmation, and 13.57% during the first trimester, with no significant correlation between beliefs and ANC timing. Regarding prenatal care, 95.20% would recommend starting prenatal care with every pregnancy, regardless of the timing of their own ANC initiation. Conclusion: This study offers a comprehensive analysis of factors impacting late ANC contact and inadequate ANC contacts among pregnant Saudi women. These findings contribute to the broader understanding of ANC practices among Saudi women and underscore the importance of considering various determinants for tailored interventions and health education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antenatal care is a major contributor to the reduction of perinatal and maternal mortality and morbidity, through the identification of high risk pregnancies and early intervention for pregnant women with complications. Inadequate (less than eight contacts) and late antenatal care (starting after 12 weeks) have implications for the health of mothers, fetuses, and newborns. The aim of this study was to assess proportion and determinants of inadequate and late antenatal care among Saudi mothers in Unaizah, Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 537 mothers who gave birth at King Saud Hospital, Unaizah City. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic information, antenatal care, and determinants that might affect the use of antenatal care. The data were entered into Excel and exported in STATA version 16. Simple and multiple logistic regressions were used to identify the determinants of inadequate and late antenatal care. Results: The mean (standard deviation) age of the participants was 30.71 (5.73) years. The proportion of inadequate and late antenatal care was 34% (95% CI 30– 38) and 25% (95% CI 21– 29). Inadequate antenatal care was independently associated with employed mothers (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.13– 3.22) and high parity (three or more) (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.17– 4.16). Late antenatal care was independently associated with employed mothers (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.07– 3.27) and high parity (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.01– 4.16). Conclusion: This study found that the proportion of inadequate and late ANC was less than in other regions of Saudi Arabia, but it is still important to decrease this rate. The findings of this study will be useful for policy makers in Qassim region to help them design interventions to target mothers at high risk of inadequate and late ANC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]